Quote:
Originally Posted by lefthanded
Thanks to everyone so far for your responses. I know I am not alone, and I don't want to become a whiner or to live in the past. But it is not so easy realizing I won't be the one to introduce my grandson to backpacking . . .
echoes . . . I already have the "broken bones" or sprained foot feeling, frequently after being on my feet even for an hour or less.
I guess what has me the most puzzled is how you get to see a physical therapist. I have asked my doctors and they say that Medicare won't cover one unless I am rehabbing after an injury. It sure seems to me that a little training might go a long way to keeping me mobile.
The hardest part for me right now is that I moved to Washington state in 1995 to hike and climb, and now I have great difficulty with a trip to the local shopping mall! I am dying inside to see some of my favorite places, like Snow Lake at the base of Unicorn Peak @ Mt. Rainier: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3021/...g?v=1217304911
Natches Loop Trail/Dewey Lake: http://www.bbirmingham.com/images/blog/dewey_lake.jpg
Mt. Angeles - the hike: http://blog.seattlepi.com/myseattlep...015727_450.jpg
Mt. Angeles, the summit: (not me in the photo, but I have stood right there!) http://skisickness.com/Olympics/mapics/Sky1.jpg
Or the one I did 9 times in 1997 preparing to climb Mt. Adams:
The mountain: http://www.lysistrataproject.org/***...Washington.jpg
The trail: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/41/77...19219c.jpg?v=0
How do you learn to let go of your dreams? In 2001 I had dreams of climbing Mt. Rainier again . . . in 2002 I was diagnosed with ulcertaive colitis, and by 2003 I had undergone four surgeries and months on Flagyl, which is where most of my doctors believe my peripheral neuropathy initiated. My symptoms were supposed to be temporary . . . ha!
I would be happy to just be able to handle a 2 mile hike with a little elevation gain . . . That would get me to many places I would be happy to see again. Has anyone else with pn been able to overcome the pain and numbness to be able to do things like this? |
It may help you out to try and build up your feet and leg mussels etc.
It's taken me 3 years and allot of pain but it helped me. I'm much stronger now. I live for hiking because I know what it's doing for my pn. I have quit all junk food and soda. My kids took bets on how long I would last before I went back to my 64ounce soda mug. I was on a huge down hill mentally. I remember reading post on braintalk of those who hiked and thought if only I could get back enough to hike. Everyone is different (FOR SURE) and you may be in just to much pain etc. but for me hiking was my savior. It turned me around. 3 years ago I was in pretty bad shape. Walking was hard, my balance was not good. My son took me for a small hike (he knew it was in my blood) I hiked and hiked and cried from pain but you know what I would not stop until I summitted. I made it back to the car in the dark hardly able to put one foot in front of the other. That's all it took. I have been training ever since. I hike in pain, it does stop me often but after a spell I put my boots back on and get up and keep going. It's been the best thing for me. I weight lift now, do squats, lunges and walk. I even snow shoe in the winter to keep my legs strong. I'm up to walking 3 miles a day now. The first time I went about 3 blocks. (It hurts but I keep hiking in my mind). I have lost almost 30 pounds and I'm now training to summit the highest peak in Utah. Last week I did "Mount Timpanogus".
http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/r...impanogos.html
This is me at the top! Snow in August and lots of it up there!!!! The whole hike was 4,839 feet in elevation gain and I did it in 10 hours.